Are you practising ENOUGH SELF-CARE?

It’s become the lockdown buzzword – and it’s time we started loving ourselves a little more

- CLARE O’REILLY

The main lesson we can all learn from 2020 is that we should be taking better care of ourselves. Almost a quarter of UK adults have felt loneliness because of COVID-19, with half the population suffering feelings of worry and anxiety, according to the Mental Health Foundation. So it’s no wonder Google searches for the term ‘self-care’ are up 25% this year, with page results hitting nearly three billion.

Yet this modern trend goes far beyond eating your ‘five a day’ and a regular run or walk. Self-care extends to anything that makes you feel good and relaxed.

A host of celebrities are at the fore of the movement. The Duchess of Sussex cooks herself dinner in her favourite outfit, Jennifer Aniston prioritises sleep, Emma Watson and Emilia Clarke have both extolled the virtues of a long bath, while Emma Stone meditates.

Studies show self-care can vastly improve mental and physical health, and alleviate or delay many long-term health conditions, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure, arthritis, chronic pain and cancer, potentially saving the NHS millions a year.

So how can we all practise more self-care, and just how easy is it to find time for yourself in a busy day? Writer and mum-of-three Clare O’Reilly spent a week trying new techniques.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Self-care is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health’.

‘MY ONLY ME TIME IS ON THE LOO’

Clare O’Reilly, 41, lives in Plymouth with her husband, Jon, 48, and their children, Eddie, 16, Sammy, 12, and Annie, nine.